Florida Gun Store Owner Bans Specific Group Of People

By: Katrina Manning | July 25, 2015

Andy Hallinan, 28, owns a gun shop in Florida that has recently raised some controversy. He made a video declaring his store a "Muslim-free zone," that some people believe violates civil rights. In the video, Hallinan says “We’re in battle, patriots," as he sits in front of a Confederate flag with his arms crossed. Hallinan is a self-proclaimed high school dropout from Massachusetts who became a gun shop owner in Inverness shortly after the tragic theater shootings in Aurora, Colorado, in 2012. He told Fox 13, “Something snapped in my soul and I've been on a quest."

His goal is to arm and train as many people as he can to make Central Florida a safe place to live. After the recent shooting deaths of five U.S. servicemen in Chattanooga, TN, he said in his video “I have a moral and legal responsibility to ensure the safety of all patriots in my community, and so effective immediately, I'm declaring Florida Gun Supply as a ‘Muslim-free zone.' I will not arm and train those who wish to do harm to my fellow patriots.” Once posted, he said “I meant to be offensive. I meant to stir debate.” Jeff Berman said “As a combat vet who fought side by side with the Muslim community, I know the difference between extremism vs. those who want a peaceful life in America. There are millions of Muslims in [the] U.S., so discriminating against them generally, is wrong.”

On the other hand, Hallinan stated “My goal is to offend people so they start to realize that the political correctness is a threat to our civilization. We're seeing these Jihadis get bolder and bolder and bolder the more politically correct we get.” Executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Tampa, Hassan Shibly, said “He knows very little about Islam and Muslims and I hope we can use this [as] an opportunity. I think we'll change some minds and hearts through conversation and not allow our enemies to divide us. Hopefully we build stronger unity amongst a wider group of people that share his similar views ... that's what we want out of this ultimately.” The Department of Justice is now investigating whether Hallinan is violating any civil rights, according to WFLA. While the message itself is not illegal, if Hallinan follows through with his intent, he may allegedly be breaking the law.